ORCHARDS. 459 



necessarily diminished, the vessels become rigid and unhealthy, 

 and unable to carry to the extremity of the branches the nour- 

 ishment required by them. The ground (selected on these 

 principles) must be securely fenced, thoroughly ploughed and 

 harrowed, freed from stones-end the roots of perennial plants, 

 and then thrown up into three or four feet ridges, on which 

 you will sow and cover your apple and pear seed, and plant 

 your cherry and peach stones. It will now be useful to roll 

 the beds, for the purpose of bringing the soil and the seeds 

 every where into contact; after which they may be covered 

 with clean straw for the winter. In the spring, your young 

 apple and pear trees will show themselves, and after them your 

 cherries and peaches. The treatment to all will be the same: 

 they must be thinned to the distance of fifteen or twenty inches 

 from each other, kept perfectly free from weeds, and if the 

 weather be hot or dry, occasionally watered. They require 

 only a repetition of this process, with the addition of a little 

 careful pruning, till they have attained the height of seven or 

 eight feet, when they are fit for grafting. It is generally known 

 that by this operation we continue any given species of fruit; 

 but a fact with which the public is less acquainted is, that if the 

 graft be also grafted, the product is improved in quantity and 

 quality; and it is to be presumed, will continue to improve, 

 under every new and similar operation. Grafts to be well 

 chosen, should be taken from the wood of the present year, 

 from young and healthy races, and accommodated to the future 

 use of the fruit. As we but speak of grafting in this place in- 

 cidentally, it will not be expected that we should go into a dis- 

 sertation upon that art, nor to elucidate the many divisions and 

 subdivisions, which technical men have made of it. It is 

 enough for us to say, that of all these different modes the scion 

 and the slit is the simplest and the best. When your grafts have 

 acquired some inches in length, it may be well to rub off all the 

 buds which have pushed below them on the stem, and perhaps 

 a few of those which have appeared above them; and if the 

 grafts themselves put out any lateral shoots, spare them until 

 the succeeding year, when you are called to re-graft such as 

 have failed, and to furnish props to those which are feeble, or 

 crooked, or ill-directed. 



The year after planting, and in the month of February, when 

 there is no circulation of sap, you will do well to begin to give 

 the heads of your young trees that form which you wish them 

 ultimately to take. The more circular you make them the bet- 

 ter, always taking care to lop off those branches which do al- 

 ready or may hereafter, cross others having a proper direction. 

 This proper direction will be generally horizontal, but with a 

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